The Government of Mexico announced that in 2026 a historic investment of more than 1.1 trillion pesos will be allocated to the education sector, representing a 7.1 percent nominal increase and a 3.4 percent real increase compared to 2025. Between 2018 and 2026, the education budget will have grown 10.2 percent in real terms, consolidating one of the strongest areas in the 2026 Economic Package.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo emphasized that this is an “educational investment” and not an expense, since resources will be focused on Basic, Upper Secondary, and Higher Education, as well as on school infrastructure and universal scholarships. She highlighted that the goal is for all students, from first grade of primary school to third year of high school, to have a scholarship to continue their studies.
Secretary of Public Education Mario Delgado Carrillo reported that in 2026 the scholarship program will reach 21.6 million beneficiaries, with a budget of 185 billion pesos. This scheme includes the Universal Benito Juárez Scholarship for Upper Secondary Education, the Jóvenes Escribiendo el Futuro Scholarship for Higher Education, and the Rita Cetina Universal Scholarship for Basic Education, which will expand its coverage to all grades of primary school next year.
Additionally, one billion pesos will be allocated to the La Escuela es Nuestra program, which will serve 75,000 basic education schools and cover 100 percent of the nation’s high schools. For Upper Secondary Education, 5 billion pesos will be invested to create 50,000 new spaces through 20 new constructions, 60 expansions, and 30 tele-high schools, advancing 73 percent of the six-year goal of 120,000 spaces.
The budget for Higher Education will be 167 billion pesos, allocated to Normal Schools, Technological Universities, and institutions such as UNAM, IPN, and UAM. The Rosario Castellanos University will have 1.318 billion pesos to reach an enrollment of 100,000 students across 19 academic units, while the Universities for Wellbeing Benito Juárez García will receive 3.1 billion pesos, with a projected enrollment of 96,000 students. With these actions, the Federal Government reaffirms that education is the top priority of its transformation project.
